Sleeping Maiden
by Hokuto-chan
Summary: A crossover between X and Sleeping Beauty. Sorashi. if you don't like, don't read. R/R, please! Last part finally up! The ending!
1. Chapter One -The Prologue

The Sleeping Maiden  
  
Standard Disclaimers apply.  
  
Lotsa OOC. Bwahaha. The first part of this may not run very smoothly.  
~  
  
Once upon a time in a kingdom far away there lived a King and a Queen. They had been childless for many years and wanted a child more then anything. Finally the Queen had a daughter and there was much rejoicing throughout the kingdom. To celebrate the birth of their new child, the King and Queen had a party and invited everyone around.  
  
"Oh, she's so cute!" Queen Karen said of her daughter as the baby slept in a cradle where everyone could see her.  
  
"Of course," King Seiichirou smiled, then looked at the man standing by the throne. "Weren't the three fairies supposed to arrive by now?"  
  
"They should be here shortly, Your Highness." Kusanagi replied, pulling a gold watch out of his pocket and looking at it.  
  
As if on cue, the palace door opened and in came three figures. The first had long white hair and was traveling in a small bubble that floated several feet above the ground. The second had short, black hair and was accompied by a puppy who floated in the air next to her shoulder. As she walked toward the thrones, her path took a slight veering to the left toward Kusanagi. The third had long, wavy blond hair, and a white dress on. Out of all the fairies, she looked most the part.  
  
The first fairy, Hinto, said to Karen and Seiichirou in her telepathic way.  
  
"We are the three fairy sisters." continued Yuzuriha, as she stood to the side next to Kusanagi.  
  
"And we have come to bless the new Princess with gifts." Kotori finished, swirling her wand around.  
  
"That's wonderful!" Karen clapped her hands together.  
  
"Thank you," King Seiichirou said, nodding.  
  
Hinoto extended a hand from her bubble and waved her wand over the sleeping baby. I grant her the gift of great beauty. Her looks will be such that any man would die for her.  
  
Yuzuriha reluctantly stepped away from Kusanagi and waved her Pocky shaped wand just as Hinoto had. "I grant her the power of strength, so that she may be able to draw a sword from her hand if she needs it. She'll also be able to thwart off any unwanted attenton."  
  
Kotori lifted her own wand, but before she could say anything, the doors to the palace flew open and manaical laughter entered.  
  
Kanoe walked in, attired in a low cut black dress that left nothing to the imagination, which quite a few men in the room were happy about. "You hold a celebration and don't invite me? You even invite my sister!" She sneered at Hinoto and stormed up to the cradle.  
  
Karen raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry we didn't invite you, but we thought you would be too busy." She leaned toward Seiichirou. "Too busy getting laid," she whispered.  
  
"I heard that!" Kanoe reached into her dress and pulled out a wand covered with chains. "And for that, I am bestowing a curse on your child." She pointed the wand at the child. "When you turn 17, you will prick your finger on a spindle and die!" With that said, she disapeared.  
  
"Dammit." Karen said, then looked at the three fairies hopefully. "Is there anyway to get rid of the curse?'  
  
The three fairies looked at each other, then Yuzu spoke up. "No...there's no way to get remove the curse..."  
  
Seiichirou winced. "How can that be? We can't let the Princess die..."  
  
Hinoto said.   
  
"But would there be any way to awaken her?" Seiichirou frowned.  
  
Kotori answered this question, "Only by the kiss of true love."  
  
Everyone stared at her and she flushed. "Well, it worked for Beauty."  
  
"Right." Karen said.  
  
  
  
Kotori nodded and waved her birdshaped wand over the Princess. "When you turn 17, you will prick your finger, but you will not die...instead you fall into a deep sleep until you recieve a kiss from your one true love."  
  
When the spell was cast, all the room was silent, then Kusanagi spoke up. "Your Higness...what would Kanoe do if she hears we altered her curse?"  
  
Seiichirou and Karen looked at each other then, with a pained look on her face, Karen turned toward thr three fairies. "Is there anyway you might be able to take her in for a few years? When Kanoe hears about this, she will certainly look for her. Your cottage in the woods is well protected by the inugami. Much more then this castle."  
  
The three fairies nodded. "We'd be glad to take the Princess." Kotori said.  
  
"Things are settled then," Seiichirou said.  
  
Yuzuriha reached into the crib and held the Princess. For some odd reason, probably for plot, the baby still did not wake up, Yuzu gave Kusanagi a wave, and then all three fairies waved to the King and Queen before vanishing in a swirl of sakura petals.  
  
"Hey!" A random servant said, pulling off his sunglasses. "That's my gig!"  
  
Karen and Seiichirou ignored him and looked at each other. "Now we have to burn all the spinning wheels and spindles in the kingdom." Seiichirou pointed out. "Kotori may have changed the curse, but we can't be too careful."  
  
Karen nodded and her eyes glittered. She held up a finger, which gave off a burst of flame. "Allow me, darling."  
  
~  
  
So, for the next 16 years, the King and Queen(mainly the Queen) spent much of their time burning every spindle in the kingdom.  
  
As for the Princess...  
  
~  
  
"Arashi!" Yuzuriha called from an open window of a small cottage. Oddly enough, she hadn't aged a bit.  
  
The girl she was calling for came around into view, her straight black hair pulled back into a braid. "Yes, Yuzuriha-san?"  
  
"Dinner's ready!" Yuzu grinned and closed the window and Arashi walked into her home of 16 years. She had been told by her foster sisters that they had found her abandoned and had taken her in. She really was grateful, but sometimes, she thought, they were just so...weird...  
  
"Is it ice cream again?" Arashi asked Kotori.  
  
Kotori rolled her eyes. "Of course. It was Yuzu's turn to cook. She spends so much time with Kusanagi every time she's in the city that she doesn't have time to buy anything but ice cream."  
  
Yuzuriha blushed as she set out the bowls and spons and said defensiviely. "We wouldnt' have so much ice cream if someone could tear herself away from her new boyfriend. What was his name again?" She asked.  
  
"Nothing." Kotori said, smiling sweetly.  
  
//Ice cream? Again?// Hinoto floated in the door in her bubble.  
  
"Yes, Hinoto-san." Arashi said handing the fairie a bowl of ice cream and a spoon through the bubble.  
  
"I got a different flavour this time, at least." Yuzu pointed out.  
  
//Ooh, cookies and cream.// Hinoto began to eat.  
  
The other three girls sat down at the table and the rest of dinner was silent. Until...  
  
~  
  
To be continued 


	2. Chapter Two - The Introduction

(Author's note: This is my own version of Sleeping Beauty, a mixture of books i've read and the movie. So nyah. just kidding. ^_^)  
  
Also, due to problems, Hinoto's speech is now indicated with //  
  
  
Last time on the Sleeping Maiden:  
  
The other three girls sat down at the table and the rest of dinner was silent. Until...  
  
~  
  
There came a knocking at the door.  
  
"Huh..who could that be?" Yuzuriha wondered, getting up to answer the door.  
  
Kotori looked at Arashi from across the table. "This is strange. We never get any visitors out here.."  
  
Arashi simply shrugged.  
  
"Oh!" They heard Yuzuriha gasp from the hallway. After a pause, she said. "Come in, come in."  
Now, Kotori and Arashi came into the hallway to see what there was at the door. Hinoto floated behind them, just as curious.  
  
Yuzuriha was closing the door, half supporting a young man who looked like he had seen better days. His clothing was ripped and he was bleeding, though not too badly. He had unruly black hair, which was sticking to his head, a mixture of the blood and water, probably due to the fact it was raining.  
  
"Are you alright?" Kotori gasped and went to help Yuzuriha take the man to a spare bedroom down the hallway.  
  
"Thank you, miss." he said, stumbling to get to his feet.  
  
"What happened?" Arashi asked, following them after getting a first aid kit.  
  
The boy looked up at her, and blinked. He stared at her for a good while, before Arashi got impatient.  
  
"What?" She snapped, more so then she would have normally done. This boy made her nervous.  
  
Yuzuriha gave her a look that told her to be polite and took the first aid kit from her. "Arashi, could you go and get a spare robe from my bedroom? I should have one that fits him."  
  
"Why would you have a man's robe in your bedroom?" Arashi asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Yuzuriha turned pink. "Just go get it, please."  
  
Arashi did, and returned soon. "Here you go, Yuzuriha-san." She noticed the boy, who had been talking to Yuzuriha and Kotori had stopped when she entered the room and was now looking at her strangely.  
  
"What?" she said again. "If you have something to say to me, please say it stop staring at me."  
  
The boy grinned, cheery despite his injuries. "I was just thinking about how beautiful you are." He seemed to think about something for a moment. "I've decided."  
  
Arashi flushed, but looked angry none the same. Then, his second sentence hit her. "Decided? Decided what?"  
  
"Ow!" The boy cried as Yuzuriha applied a potion to a particular nasty wound.   
  
"I'm sorry," Yuzuriha said, wrapping gauze around it. "But it's for your own good. How did you get these injuries?"  
  
"Well, I was fighting a few Dragons. Unfortunately, I was no match for them. I was outnumbered, and well, out powered."  
  
"Why were you fighting Dragons?"  
  
"You see, it's in my job desciption. I'm a Prince, though I don't look like it." the Prince laughed, a sound that Arashi found herself smiling at, with its vibrancy. "There was a damsel in distress, and I was hoping to perhaps save her, or die trying at least." He gave a defeated sigh and flushed slightly. "In the end, the damsel defeated the Dragons herself. She's got some heavy piece of machinery she operates, and quite well...they sent me away, laughing since I couldn't defeat my opponent. My injuries are so bad, I can't make it all the way to my homeland."  
  
"Oh, you poor thing," Kotori exclaimed(Hinoto had gone to find some bedding so the boy could spend the night.)  
  
He laughed. "I'm a pretty pathetic Prince, aren't I?" he flinched again as Yuzuriha finished dressing the last of his wounds. "Thank you, miss." he beamed. "May ask your names, kind pretty ladies who helped me?"  
  
Yuzuriha smiled. "I'm Yuzuriha, and this is Kotori, my sister. That's Hinoto, our other sister," she pointed as Hinoto came floating back in, holding bedsheets. "And this is Arashi, our foster sister." Arashi bowed politely, taking the sheets from Hinoto and started to place them on the bed.  
  
"I'm Prince Sorata." He bowed to the four women. "I owe you a great deal, for saving my life."  
  
"Oh, think nothing of it." Kotori said. "Why don't you stay here for the night, to rest up. Tomorrow you'll get on your way, but you need to let those wounds heal."  
  
"Thank you very much, miss." he smiled at Kotori. "Are you sure it wouldn't be too much of a bother?" he asked the fairies.  
  
//Oh, no bother at all.// Hinoto said. Privately, she continued to Kotori and Yuzuriha. //Maybe he'll be able to break Arashi's ice. Did you see the way she blushed?//  
  
Yuzuriha giggled and Kotori smiled, earning them both an odd glance from Arashi. She finished placing the sheets on the bed, and stood back.  
  
"Thank you, Miss." Sorata gave her a bright smile. "You really are beautiful."  
  
Arashi frowned and resisted the urge to smack the man silly. "It's getting late, and I'm sure you really want to rest." she walked out of the room, nearly dragging Yuzuriha and Kotori with her. Hinoto followed. "We'll leave you be. Goodnight." she closed the door, leaving Sorata standing in the middle of the room.  
  
"I've decided, miss." he said softly to the door. "If I am to die, then you will be the woman I die for." Having said this, he prepared to rest.  
  
~  
  
Late that night, Arashi stirred restlessly in her room. She hadn't been able to sleep. The moment she closed her eyes, an image of the Prince's smiling face blossomed behind her eyelids. As long as she kept her eyes open, she didn't have to think about him. But what had he meant, by the words "I've decided"? He hadn't answered her when she'd asked, and didn't seem likely to if she asked again.  
  
"Augh!" She said to herself as she realized her thoughts had strayed to the boy. Why was she thinking of him? Sure, he was the only man she'd seen(besides Kusanagi, but he was taken, and was much too burly for her anyway) in her entire life. But why, why was she thinking of him the way she was. Her mind had no answer for her. She sighed and climbed out of bed, pulling a robe over her nightgown. No rest for her tonight.  
  
She padded quietly down the hall and out the door, to the small garden in the back of the cottage. A couple of inugami raised their heads to look at her as she walked past, but made no move or sound, as if they realized she didn't want to be discovered. She walked to her favorite tree, in the corner of the garden, just in sight of the cottage, yet close enough to the forest to be comfortable. Ignoring the ladylike habits the fairies had taught as she grew, Arashi climbed up into the tree and sat in the lower branches.  
  
Out here, her mind still had no answers for her, as to why she thought of this young man so much. Why his compliments to beauty made her blush, or why she felt the way she did. What was this feeling?  
  
"Is something wrong, Miss?" His voice cut through her thoughts. She nearly fell out of the tree, and would have, if a pair of strong arms caught her and steadied her. Sorata apologized, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you... I wasn't going to say anything, but you looked distressed..."  
  
"What are you doing here?" she hissed, backing away as far she could in a tree. "Shouldn't you be resting?"  
  
"Shouldn't you be resting as well?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, smiling.  
  
"Do you mock me?" she was glad it was dark, to hide her flush.  
  
"Of course not. One must never mock beautiful ladies." He reached for her hand and she snatched it away, folding it on her lap. "Although," he continued, "I've never talked with a beautiful girl in the moonlight. Nor one as pretty as you." he laughed again, probably at the cheesiness of his lines.  
  
That reminded her, and she regarded him with a slight frown. "Earlier... you said you had decided...what did you mean?"  
  
He looked at her, eyes serious for once, and then sighed. "When I was born, it was prophesized that I would die for the woman I loved." If he heard her soft gasp, he ignored it. "I decided, that if I was to love and die for a woman, she would have to be very beautiful. I left home when I was 13, perhaps to find the woman I was to die for. And I've found her. You're the woman I love, and am going to give my life protecting."  
  
She gasped again. "But...but, I don't even know you! You don't know me! How can you say that?" she stared at him.  
  
"I love you..." he reached for her hand again, and this time she let him take it, too shaken to pay much attention as he brought her hand to his lips and gave it a gentle kiss. This touch brought her to awareness again and she pulled her hand away. She wanted to tell him off, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She wanted to hit him, to smack him, maybe to bring him to his sense, if he had any, but remembering his earlier wounds, she couldn't bring herself to do it.  
  
She settled for jumping out of the tree and hurrying back into the cottage, holding her robe tight around her.  
  
Sorata watched her go, sadly. Then, he looked up at the moon. "I'll win your love, miss...but perhaps, it would be easier to die for a woman, if she didn't love me back...that way, I wouldn't hurt her by dying." he sighed and walked back into the cottage.  
  
~  
  
  
Well, that was certainly interesting...too OOC? Waffy? This was written at 3 AM.   
  
Comments and critism always welcome! 


	3. Chapter Three - The Nonsense

(Author's note: Of course Sora-chan's not going to die in the fic! I want them to be happy so much I wouldn't kill him off, unlike meanie CLAMP. *cries*)  
  
(Also, you should note that this part doesn't really happen in the Sleeping Beauty story or movie. I put it in here for character development)  
  
Sleeping Maiden  
  
  
  
The next day, waking up after too few hours of sleep, Arashi "cooked" breakfast. Yuzuriha and Kotori had gotten up two hours earlier, and now were in the city, hopefully to buy more food. Luckily, in the garden, they had enough vegatables Arashi could make herself a decent salad. Hinoto had gone to her job, as a fortune-teller in a nearby carnival.  
  
"Ow.." she heard Sorata's voice behind her, and she froze up. After a moment, she turned around anyway. He was leaning heavily against the doorframe.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" she asked, wincing at how harsh it seemed.  
  
"I must have slept wrong on one of my injuries. Is it alright if I sit down?" he gestured to the table.  
  
"Of course, have a seat." She occupied herself with making a salad for him as well. When she finished, she brought the bowls over to the table and set them down. "I normally would have something else, but we don't have any food at the moment. All Yuzuriha bought when she was in the city last time was ice cream."  
  
Sorata laughed. "Ice cream? Well, salad is alright. As long as you made it." he smiled brightly at her, and she rolled her eyes.  
  
"As soon as your sisters get home, I'll leave. It's bad manners to leave without saying goodbye." he said softly, almost to himself.  
  
"I could tell them that you said goodbye." Arashi said absently, hoping to get him out of her hair.  
  
"No, no. I have to tell them myself. Don't you want me to stay?" he gave her a hurt look.  
  
"...." she refrained from commenting, but stood up, placed her bowl of unfinished salad on the counter and went into her room.  
  
"Wait, Miss!" behind her, she could hear him echoing her movement, though somewhat more clumsily. She closed her door, and sat down on her bed.  
  
She didn't want him to stay. He was nice, it seemed, though she hadn't had very many conversations with him, but if what he said last night was true...Arashi shuddered. She didn't want the death of anyone on her shoulders. Not even if it was an annoying, but sweet Prince.  
  
Outside her door, she heard a thump and then an "Ow!"  
  
She rolled her eyes again, and went to investigate. Outside in the hall, Sorata had been going to Arashi's room, but had slipped on a throw rug and fallen hard on his back. His muscles sore from the previous day's happenings, he was in alot of pain as he struggled to stand up, not wanting to look like a fool in front of the woman he loved.  
  
Arashi stood in her doorway for a while, watching him, before taking pity on the poor soul and went to help him stand.   
  
"Thank you, Miss." he beamed, leaning against her. She decided against dropping him. Then, on an impulse, she said.  
  
"Perhaps you'd better stay here for a while. If you try to leave with those injuries, even though they've been treated, they still cause you pain, and could even cause more injuries...It would be better for you if you stayed."  
  
Sorata blinked, then grinned. "I knew you loved me, Miss!" Before she could stop him, he gave her a quick squeeze, then braced himself against the wall to stand up on his own.  
  
Arashi glared at him, refusing to let a blush settle across her cheeks. She whirled around and went back into her room, slamming the door in his face. Sorata simply laughed.  
  
  
~  
  
  
"Oh?" Kotori asked Arashi later that night, as the two girls prepared dinner. "You invited him to stay until his wounds are healed? ...Why?"  
  
Arashi rolled her eyes despite herself. "He slipped on a rug earlier, and could barely get up. I had to help him. If we sent him out, he'd probably end up killing himself." She cut herself off, remembering his words to her the night before.  
  
Kotori considered Arashi's words. "Very good point. Well, I'm sure Yuzuriha and Hinoto wouldn't mind if we let him stay until his wounds healed, or at least until he can fall and get up on his power." She laughed, and set the table.  
  
Arashi smiled, a rare thing. "We'll need to get some clothes for him. He had only one change in that bag of his he brought, and they were ruined when blood and water seeped through the bag."  
  
Kotori finished setting the table and gave Arashi a strange look as the girl began to set out the food. "That's a good idea...actually, Yuzuriha and I did that today, so he'd have some traveling clothes. I'm surprised you thought of it." She smiled at her foster sister.   
  
Arashi blinked and fought back the flush that threatened to overtake her face. "Of couse I thought of it. I don't want him walking around in only a robe for the entire time he's here. Who's is that anyways? Why was it Yuzuriha-san's room?" Kotori gave her a look and Arashi rethought her questions. "Wait. Don't answer that."  
  
Yuzuriha and Hinoto came into the room. "Is dinner ready?" Yuzuriha asked. "Sorata-san said he didn't want to come out of his room. His leg's been hurting him."  
  
"Arashi invited him to stay until his wounds healed," Kotori said, pulling out her chair.  
  
"Really?" Yuzuriha could barely contain her glee.   
  
//You know,// Hinoto thought to her sisters, as she floated near them. //Perhaps Sorata will be the one true love to awake her from her deep sleep...///  
  
Kotori and Yuzuriha's eyes darkened. As they had been raising Arashi, they'd forgotten all about the curse...but Arashi's 17th birthday was in 6 months, and then the curse that had been given to her would take into play.   
  
"Yuzuriha-san?" Arashi asked, worried at the look on her foster sister's face. "Kotori-san, Hinoto-san? Are you alright?"  
  
//We're fine, Arashi. Let's eat.// Hinoto said.  
  
The sisters ate.  
  
  
~  
  
For the next two weeks, Sorata stayed with them, mainly staying in his room because moving hurt alot. After the 2nd week, he got bored and would help them around the house or in the garden. Even Arashi had to admit his presence was helpful, even if he kept flirting with her, especially in front of her foster sisters.  
  
"Will you quit that?" she asked one day, after the 16th time he called her beautiful while they were washing dishes.  
  
Sorata pretended to look hurt. "Quit what?"  
  
Arashi put down the plate she held(or she would have thrown it at him) and turned to face him. "You know exactly what I meant. Calling me beautiful, giving me other compliments, following my every word..." Actually, she liked that part. Usually, she was the one following her sister's orders. "Why are you doing it?"  
  
Sorata smiled. "I told you. You are the woman I love."  
  
She ignored him and went back to washing the dishes.  
  
  
~  
  
1 month later, Arashi and Sorata walked through the forest, on their way back from the city, where they had gone to buy items. Yuzuriha had been ill, and Kotori was needed elsewhere. Hinoto still had her job to go to, so the only available to go was Arashi. She'd never been in the city before, and Sorata had volunteered to go, as a sort of bodyguard.  
  
"Don't get any ideas," she said crossly to the man as he walked alongside her. "Just because we're alone doesn't mean I won't kick you if you try anything funny."  
  
"Aw, Miss." Sorata said, pretending to be hurt. " I would never treat the lady I love like that." He shifted the many bags he was carrying. "And besides, if we save things, it will make our honeymoon all that much sweeter."  
  
Arashi blushed, but didn't say anything, which Sorata noted with a grin. She was cracking  
  
~  
  
2 and 1/2 months later, Sorata was finally well enough for him to get on his way to his home land.  
  
"Thank you, kind misses." He gave an over exagerating sweeping bow. "When I get home, would you like me to get you anything? It's the least I can do, in return for your kindess and hospitality."  
  
Yuzuriha shook her head. "Oh, no. We're well off. Send us a letter every now and then, though!" she laughed.   
  
Arashi stood in the doorway of the cottage, watching her foster sisters talk to the Prince. She didn't know why, but she felt... sad. When she realized that, she flushed. Okay, so his compliments and flattery had earned him a place in her heart, and she probably just going to be sad that her new friend was leaving. No, it wasn't that she loved him. Or even cared for him beyond friendship. No, she would deny anything other than that.  
  
Sorata watched her in the doorway, then set his bag on the ground and strode over to her. "Miss Arashi." he said, softly.  
  
"Goodbye, Sorata." she said, just as softly.  
  
"You'll write, won't you?" he was doing anything to prolong the conversation.  
  
"Of course, as long as you write back."   
  
For once, Sorata was at a loss of words. He didn't really want to leave, but he had too...He bent his head to whisper into her ear. "Remember what I told you? I will die for the sake of the woman I love."  
  
Arashi said nothing, and Sorata went back and retrieved his bag. "Goodbye!" he waved as he walked off into the forest.   
  
Yuzuriha, Kotori, and Hinoto waited until he was out of earshot before they went to Arashi, still standing silently in the doorway.   
  
///What did he say to you?/// Hinoto asked, noting the girl looked paler than usual.  
  
"...Nothing." Arashi turned and went into her bedroom.  
  
The fairies looked at each other and shrugged.  
  
"Maybe you were right, Hinoto." Kotori said."Maybe Sorata is her one true love."  
  
"...She doesn't even know about the curse, does she?" Yuzuriha asked.  
  
The other two faires shook their heads. ///We should tell her.../// Hinoto said.  
  
"We'll tell her before she turns 17. Let's let her have a while peace before she knows."  
  
~  
  
The next month or so Arashi didn't remember well. Without Sorata's constant cheery face or random compliments, the cottage seemed drabier, more silent. She didn't like that, as if it held some sense of foreboding that something bad was coming.   
  
That was confirmed a week before her 17th birthday, when the fairies sat her down at the table.  
  
"Arashi." Yuzuriha said nervously. "We have something to tell you."  
  
  
  
  
To be continued.  
  
~  
  
  
What do you think? Too OOC? Too sappy? Too fast? Too boring? Any suggestions? Critism? All welcome!  
  
(Sure, Nayami. You can archive it! I would be honoured if you did. ^__^) 


	4. Chapter Four - The Peak

Last time on Sleeping Maiden:  
  
  
"Arashi." Yuzuriha said nervously. "We have something to tell you."  
  
  
~  
Standard disclaimers apply  
~  
  
Sleeping Maiden.  
  
(oh, and in case you didn't notice, this is AU. ^^;;;)(Wooo, 3 chapters in that many days! I'm on a roll!)  
  
"Tell me what?" Arashi asked, nervously looking at the faces of her foster sisters.  
  
"You're a Princess, Arashi." Kotori said softly.  
  
Arashi opened her mouth, but Yuzu cut her off by sticking a peice of tape over it. "16 years ago, we were invited by your parents to come to the party they held for you, because they had finally had a child. We gave you gifts, of beauty and strength, and were about to give you another one, but then.." Yuzuriha trailed off.  
  
//My other sister,(for we are three are only sisters by claim) Kanoe, interuppted,// Hinoto continued. //She put a curse on you, that you would die on your 17th birthday by pricking your finger on a spindle.///  
  
Arashi's eyes widened and she tried to pull off the tape. Kotori tied her arms to the chair and continued the story. "However, since I had my gift left to give, I changed the curse, so that instead of dying, you'll fall into a deep sleep, until you get awakened by the kiss of love."  
  
Arashi blushed and tried to say something. She got cut off.  
  
//Your parents, King Seiichirou and Queen Karen, have gone to great lengths to make sure this curse doesn't come true. But, they'd like to meet you on your birthday, Arashi. So, we're taking you to see them next week.//  
  
Arashi said something, but all they could hear was muffledness. "Oops, sorry about that," Yuzuriha took the tape off her mouth. Arashi took a deep breath, and stared at her foster sisters.  
  
"You mean to say that I am a Princess? And that I was cursed to die, and instead I'm going to be put into a deep sleep until I get a kiss from my ...my o-one true love?" she raised her eyebrows at this, fighting against a blush at the last words.  
  
"Yep. That's exactly what we said," Yuzuriha started to untie Arashi from the chair.  
  
"...But wait-" Arashi was silenced as the three fairies started to drag her from the room.  
  
//Come on, we have to make you all nice and presentable for your parents. New clothes are in order, and we want to make sure your manners are fine, just in case.//  
  
It was all Arashi could do to stop from screaming.   
  
~  
  
A week later, Arashi walked with the three fairies into the palace, pulling nervously at her dress. It had taken all three fairies, and a little threatening on Yuzuriha's side to bring Kusanagi in and have him hold her down to get Arashi to wear the dress, but she was wearing it. It was rather long and had puffy short sleeves, with ribbons running down the length of her arm. The ribbons were red, while the bodice was white and the rest of the dress a light lavender colour. Even though she didn't like dresses, she had to admit she looked good in this one. She could just imagine what Sorata would say if he saw her in it.   
  
She imagined his grinning face in front of her, almost as if he was watching her right now, in that dress. In her mind, he came up to her and took her hand in his, then looked into her eyes. 'You look beautiful, Miss Arashi.' Despite herself, Arashi smiled softly at the image.  
  
She was rudely pulled from her daydream when she walked headlong into the large door in front of the throne room.  
  
"Arashi?" Yuzuriha gave her a funny look from where the three fairies stood waiting for the door to open.  
  
"I'm fine." Arashi walked back and stood with them, hands nervously clasped in front of her.  
  
After a very long pause, the doors opened and the fairies walked in. Arashi hesitated a moment, almost wanting to leave, then followed her foster sisters, no, guardians into the throne room.  
  
At the front, two thrones sat side by side and in them, a woman and man. 'Those must be my parents,' Arashi thought, though she noted she looked nothing like either of them.  
  
"Arashi?" The woman said, standing up and coming over to the young girl. She had short curly red hair, and gold eyes. She was really pretty, and Arashi could see where her own beauty had come from. The woman came to her and cupped her face in her hands. "You are Arashi." She hugged the younger girl fiercly. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby, and the fairies took you be raised safely."  
  
Over the woman's shoulder, Arashi could see the man getting up as well, and when he reached the two women, she found herself being hugged by two people. So, they were indeed her parents, Seiichirou and Karen...  
  
For a while, Arashi sat with her parents and talked about the last 16 years that she had been with the fairies. The fairies themselves went off to do other things in the palace, Kotori going into the kitchen to help prepare the feast, Hinoto started a conversation with the royal fortune teller, who lay comatose in another room, and Yuzuriha and Kusanagi had slipped away quite some time ago.   
  
"Did the three fairies tell you about the curse?" Karen found herself asking her daughter late in the day.  
  
Arashi looked down at her lap."Yes, just last week..."  
  
Seiichirou leaned over and patted her shoulder. "Your mother and I have spent the last few years burning every spindle in the kingdom. We want you to stay with us, so this curse doesn't come true."  
  
Arashi nodded, understanding. "If the curse did come true, and I fell into a deep sleep, only the kiss of ...true love would wake me up?" She asked, to confirm it.  
  
Karen nodded. "Yes... that's what Kotori said when she changed the curse. Do you have someone in mind?" Arashi blushed and Karen laughed. "I thought so." She turned to her husband. "It's getting late, why don't we go to the dining hall?"  
  
"That's a good idea."  
  
The royal family started to make their way across the throne room, and Karen leaned over to Arashi. "Tomorrow, we're going to talk about your true love." She grinned, and Arashi flushed again. 'Darn you, Sorata.' she thought.  
  
Arashi was about to follow her parents into the room when she heard a voice calling her. "Um, I'm going to go wash up. I'll be back in a few minutes." she hurried down the hall where Karen indicated the washroom was, and when they entered the dining hall, started on her way toward the voice.  
  
'What is that voice, anyway?' She thought, realizing it sounded awfully familiar. She knew she should have turned right back around and gone to her family, but she kept walking up a long, spiraling stairwell. Finally, after what seemed like forever, she emerged at the top of the stairs, into a small, deserted room, except for a bed and a spinning wheel, complete with spindle.  
  
Arashi sweatdropped and turned around. However, before she could walk down the stairs again, the door shut and locked. 'Oh no, this isn't good.' she thought to herself, and turned around once again to look at the room. That was alright, as long as she stayed away from the spindle, she would be fine. A movement in the corner of her eye, caught her attention, and she turned toward the only other living thing in the room, a woman with long black hair, wearing FAR too little clothing.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked politely.  
  
"I am Kanoe. And I'm hear to enforce the curse I placed on you 16 years ago."  
  
"You're Kanoe? I figured she would be a little more...evil looking."  
  
Kanoe flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I'll take that as a compliment. Now, prick your finger and fall into that deep sleep of yours. I would have liked it for you to die, but that darn Kotori changed my original curse."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Because your parents didn't invite to the party to celebrate your birth, that's why. Now stop asking questions and prick your finger."  
  
"No!"  
  
"Fine! Yuuto!" Kanoe snapped her fingers.  
  
Before Arashi could blink, a wave of water swept her off her feet. She cried out and struggled to stand up as her dress clung to her. She pulled her hair out of her face and held her left hand in front of her. If what, Yuzuriha-san told her had been true....Yes, it was. With a sickening feeling, a sword swept out of her hand and she grabbed it and swung at the man who had appeared with Kanoe called.  
  
He dodged and sent another wave of water toward her. In the small space of the room, Arashi couldn't dodge, and was swept back. In a panic, she grabbed at something, which happened to be the spindle of the spinning wheel. 'No!' she thought, as she blacked out.  
  
"Well, that was anti-climatic." Kanoe remarked as the sword disapeared back into the girl's hand. "You had better put her on that bed, and we need to get out of here. I have an appointment at 7."  
  
"Yes, Kanoe-san." Yuuto said cheerfully, and followed her orders. He layed the girl on the bed(only after drawing out the moisture from her clothes, so she'd look pretty for her true love), and followed Kanoe in disapearing.  
  
Downstairs, in the dining hall, Seiichirou looked worridly at a clock. "Where is she? Even for a young woman, it's taking her an awful long time to wash up..."  
  
Kotori looked nervous. "You don't think she wandered off, do you?"  
  
Everyone at the table was silent. Then, everyone got up. "Wonderful." Karen remarked. "We let her out of our site for only a moment, and she goes off, as if searching for that curse."  
  
The three fairies suddenly stiffened. "...She found it." Yuzuriha said sadly.  
  
"What?!" Seiichirou whirled and stared at the young girl.  
  
//She's sleeping now, in the upper most tower. Kanoe forced her to prick her finger. I had not foreseen this..//  
  
"No!" Karen said, eyes wide. "Does that mean, until her one true love comes to kiss, that she'll be asleep forever?"  
  
The royal fortune teller overheard this in a dream, and asked. "Is that so bad?" Of course, no one heard him.  
  
"Yes...but, she's met someone we think is her love. He's a Prince for another kingdom, and we know he loves her. He's been destined to die for the woman he loved."  
  
"As long as he dies after he kisses her." Karen muttered.  
  
"We're really very sorry about this," Kotori drew her wand out of her dress pocket. "We're going to have to put you all into a deep sleep, so you don't have to wait for Sorata to come and awaken her. When she awakes, we'll take this spell off."  
  
"All of them?" Yuzuriha asked.  
  
The other two fairies gave her a look. "Yes, all of the royal family and servants." Yuzuriha pouted, but held up her own wand as well. With a flick of the wands and some well placed words, everyone in the castle fell asleep where they stood.  
  
The fairies stood in the middle of the dining hall, surrounded by sleeping people. "We should put vines and thorns around the palace, to discourage anyone but Sorata from coming in to rescue Arashi." Yuzuriha pointed out.  
  
"Good idea." So, thousands of thorny vines covered the area surrounding the castle, making entrance and exit impossible. Unless, of course, you're a fairie, then you can fly over them.  
  
~  
  
In a nearby kingdom, Sorata sat boredly in his room, ears still hurting from his father's harsh reprimand. 6th one of the day, in fact. It seemed since he had gotten home that nothing he did was going to be good enough for his father. What Sora really wanted to do now was just go see Arashi, maybe even ask for her hand in marriage. He really did love her, and he suspected she had some feelings beyond friendship for him.  
  
Oh well, he sighed. He was engaged to a baroness' daughter, and the wedding was next week. He didn't want to marry any one other then Arashi, but his father refused to even consider a commoner for his son's wife, no matter how beautiful she may have been.  
  
The very object of his thoughts appeared before him, like an illusion. He snapped up straight and stared at it. There was his Arashi, sleeping in a bed, and he had a feeling she wasn't going to wake... not until he went to get her.  
  
The illusion faded, with her soft voice saying his name. His heart clenched upon hearing it, and he stood up and grabbed a sack from under his bed. Throwing in a few personal belongings, and after writing a hasty note to his father and an apology to his fiancee, Sorata jumped out the window. It was good his bedroom was on the first floor.  
  
  
  
To be continued. 


	5. Chapter Five - The End

(Warning: Extremely sappy and waffy, as well as corny. May need toothbrush so you don't get cavities)  
Standard Disclaimers apply.  
~  
  
Sleeping Maiden  
  
  
It took Sorata three days to travel to the cottage where he had said his goodbyes to Arashi, which was 5 times shorter then it had taken him to get home. Probably because on his way home, he had continually stopped and gone back, then hit himself and continued on his journey. Now, nothing was going to stop him from seeing his Arashi again.  
  
Actually, this thought made him stop and think. When had he started referring to the girl as 'his' Arashi? He didn't mind, but he knew she probably would. Although, in the days before he had left, she had changed a great deal, smiling at him when she thought he wasn't looking, or helping him whenever one of his injuries still bothered him. A week before he left, he had gone outside and found that she had fallen asleep, probably tired from staying up the night before, in the tree he'd seen her in the first night he stayed with them.  
  
Sorata smiled remembering the memory. He had picked her up and taken her to her room and as he tucked her into the bed, she had murmured his name. He had bent down and given her forehead a kiss before leaving the room in case she woke up and tried to hit him.  
  
Now, she was sleeping again, it seemed. And until he went to her, she was going to stay asleep. That worried him. Well, enough of this break. Sorata started on his way again, it wouldn't be long before he got to the cottage.  
  
When he got there, late in the day, it was empty, deserted. The inugami trotted over to him, a puppy bit his ankle, but other then that, there was nothing there. He leaned down to pat the head of an inugami. "Where are the ladies who live here? Have you seen them?"  
  
"We're right here." He heard Yuzuriha's voice say from behind the cottage. Sorata turned around, and saw the three girls coming toward him, faces unusually solemn.  
  
"Ah, Yuzuriha, Kotori, Hinoto! ...Is Arashi around?"  
  
Kotori shook her head. "She's fallen under a curse."  
  
"A curse? What sort of curse?!"  
  
"When she was born, her parents, King Seiichirou and Queen Karen, held a party in her honour. Hinoto's sister came interupted the party, saying that when Arashi turned 17, she would prick her finger on a spindle and die."  
  
Sorata's eyes widened in horror. "No!"  
  
"Luckily," Kotori said quickly, not wanting to make the boy cry. "I changed the curse. Instead of dying, she fell into a deep sleep. She'll only wake up until she gets a kiss from her true love. That's why we called you, with that illusion."  
  
Sorata raised an eyebrow. "What do I have to do with this?"  
  
//...You're her true love, Sorata...// Hinoto said softly.  
  
Sorata blinked. "But.... she never said anything or acted like it. I knew she was opening up to me, but her TRUE LOVE?"  
  
"Yes... you're the only one who can wake her up. Now come on, let's get you some weapons!" Yuzuriha grabbed his arm.  
  
"Wait, weapons?"   
  
//Of course, if you're going to rescue your Princess you have to fight evil things, right?//  
  
"Oh, great."  
  
~  
  
The next day, Sorata stood in front of the wall of vines, clothed in "princely" clothes, and wielding a large sword. "Do I cut these down?" He asked over his shoulder to the three fairies who watched him.  
  
"Oh, no!" Yuzuriha shook her head. "If you cut them down, Kusanagi would kill me!" The three fairies waved their wands, and the vines seperated just long enough for Sorata to jump into the castle walls. The vines closed back behind him. "You're on your own from now on, Sorata! Arashi sleeps in the upper most tower room, when you wake her up, we'll see you again!"  
  
Sorata was all alone now, except for the sleeping people all around him. "Lovely." he muttered to himself. "Just lovely."  
  
He walked into the castle, looking around to make sure that no one was awake. From what the fairies had told him, Kanoe could and probably would attack him(or at least send a cronie) so he wouldn't wake up Arashi. That woman carried grudges that were scary, he thought as he began to climb a stairwell. He really had no idea how to get to the upper most tower room, but he was just following his heart now. And his heart said Arashi lay at the top of these stairs.   
  
It took forever, but he finally made it to the top of the stairwell. Unfortunately, the door was locked, so he had to take his sword and cut it down. When he climbed through the hole in the door, he found his Arashi, sleeping peacefully on a bed, surrounded by cherry blossoms.  
  
"Arashi..." he said softly, and walked over to her. She looked gorgeous in sleep, her hair spread out across her shoulders, hands crossed on her stomach. Her breathing was deep and even, and her cheeks were rose tinted. That was a very pretty dress, he observed. He could have stood there for hours, watching her sleep like that, but he remember that he had to wake her up. He was about to lean over and kiss her when he heard someone clear their throat across the room, and he whirled around.  
  
A man was leaning against the wall, eyes covered by his sunglasses.   
  
"Who are you?" Sorata asked, placing his sword in front of him.  
  
"I was a servant for the king and queen here, but Kanoe convinced me to help her in her cause. I was the one who brought the spinning wheel and spindle in here. And Kanoe wants me to kill you, so that girl will never wake up."  
  
"Well, I'm afraid that I can't let you do that. I have to wake her up, and then I can die. Does that sound like a good plan?" Sorata asked.  
  
The man's answer was to summon a shikigami and send it toward Sorata. He slashed at it with his sword, causing it to fall on the ground. 'Not here', he thought.'It's too close to Arashi.' Sorata looked nervously at the sleeping girl. 'Don't worry, I'll make sure you awaken.'  
  
Unfortunately, looking at her for even a second gave the man enough time to send more shikigami toward him and they cut into his shoulder. Sorata screamed and swung, but they were too close for him to hit with his sword. They kept attacked, shreding his clothes and skin. Finally, he shrugged and unleashed a lightening attack, a trick he had learned from a magician on his travels.  
  
He nearly dropped to his knees, but instead used his sword to hold himself up. He was bleeding badly, he realized. It seemed as if his destiny would come true, after all.  
  
The man smirked and held up an ofuda. "It looks like I've won." then, an evil smirked cross his face, and he threw the ofuda. Not toward Sorata, though. The ofuda changed into another shikigami and raced, shrieking toward the woman on the bed.  
  
Horror crossed Sorata's features and he dropped his sword, running to stand in front of the bed. He just barely made it, and blacked out as the shikigami tore through his flesh.  
  
The man smirked at the boy laying motionless across the bed. His job here was done. He called back his shikigami and then vanished in a swirl of cherry blossoms.  
  
Sorata struggled to open his eyes, but he felt like he was dying. In fact, he thought, he was, wasn't he? He flinched and and managed to stand up. Now, Arashi's pretty dress was smeared all over with his blood, but she didn't look any less beautiful. He leaned over her and took her chin into his hand, using the other to support himself from falling onto her.  
  
"Please, please wake up..." he whispered, before gently claiming her mouth with his. Her lips were cold at first, but they warmed up quickly at his touch, and he felt her mouth open in surprise, and then her breath mingle with his. He pulled back as her gray eyes opened and stared up at him. Her face was fading quickly, though, into the darkness surrounding his vision.  
  
"...Sorata...what are you.." then she noticed his wounds. "Sorata!" She sat up as the man collapsed, unable to take the injuries anymore. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him onto the bed, holding him close.  
  
"Sorry..." he muttered quietly. "Didn't mean to mess up your pretty dress there. Although... I can barely see it anymore. That's not good, I want your beautiful face to be the last thing I see..."  
  
Arashi felt tears start to leak out of her eyes, dripping down her face, and slashing onto his. '...Why am I crying?' she thought to herself.  
  
"Looks like...my destiny is coming true..." he chuckled lightly.  
  
"How can you say that? Don't you dare die, Sorata! Don't even think about it!" She held his face in her hands, looking down at the man, crying harder. He felt her tears and reached up to stroke her cheek.   
  
"Please don't cry...I'm happy I was able to kiss you before dying..." he layed his head against her shoulder, eyes fluttering shut. "I love you..." he mumbled, then stopped breathing.  
  
Arashi was in hysterics now, and she held him tightly. "Don't die, don't die, don't die! Oh, please! Don't die!" She sobbed and pressed her face into his hair.  
  
~  
  
Down in the main castle hall, the people of the palace were waking up and stretching.   
  
"We're awake," Karen noted, looking around. "Then that must mean...."  
  
"Arashi has woken up, as well..." the three fairies came in through a window. They had been having problems with the vine spell, and thus had to fly over the wall. "However..." Kotori trailed off.  
  
A scream ripped through the castle, not one of fright or anger, but one of heartbroken misery. "Sorata's destiny came true..." Yuzuriha finished, hanging her head. Kusanagi hugged her, then the royal family and fairies started to follow the scream.  
  
~  
  
Arashi cried, unable to stop her tears. She was trying every thing to revive him, hitting him, now she was sitting astride his stomach adminsteering what she knew of a new techinque, called CPR.  
  
"Please, please wake up... I didn't want to be kissed... by my true love only to have him die... in my arms right afterwards." She tried this for what seemed like forever, until despair took her over and she sobbed into her hands. 'It's hopeless...he's dead...'Her tears splashed onto his wounds, and she didn't notice as they began to heal. 'This can't be happening...' she covered her face with hands stained by blood. 'My true love kissed me, awakened me...and now he's dead? This can't be happening...'   
  
A flash of light caught her attention and she pulled her hands away from her facing, staring in disbelief at the young man lying dead. His wounds were almost healed, though the tears in his clothes remained, and as she watched, he took in a long shuddering sigh and started breathing.  
  
"Sorata!" she squealed, trying not to sound TOO happy, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.  
  
"Am I in heaven? Must be, if angels are as beautiful as Miss Arashi...." he said. She pulled back to glare at him and he only smiled. Then, he got serious. "Really, Arashi..how did this happen?"  
  
"I don't know...and I don't care, as long as you're alive!" she hugged him again, and she felt his arms wrap around her waist.  
  
"I suppose I did die, right?" he asked and she nodded. "Then... I died..but I didn't stay dead!" he laughed at this and before she knew, had leaned up and kissed her again. She was shocked, but hid it and responded back with as much enthusiasm as she could bear.  
  
"Ahem." Kotori said from the doorway, looking at the two teens sitting in a ...compromising... manner. Arashi's head snapped up and she leapt off the bed, blushing madly. Sorata sat up in embarassment and cringed. Arashi's tears may have been able to heal some wounds, but others still hurt like heck.   
  
"Ugh..I'm think I'm going to pass out..." he braced himself on a hand, trying not to, though the pain in his head increased the longer he sat up. Arashi chose his well-being over her pride, and sat next to him, supporting him with her arm.  
  
"We'd better get you to a doctor." Seiichirou said, and Kusanagi came over to help the youth stand up. "After you're all healed, we can discuss wedding plans!"  
  
"Wedding plans?" Both Sorata and Arashi stared at the King.  
  
"Oh, sure." Karen said conversationally. "First you have to get married, THEN you can have lots of little babies!"  
  
Both kids paled.  
  
~  
  
Two months later, Sorata and Arashi were married. He climbed on his horse and pulled his new wife up behind him.   
  
"Ready to go?" he asked the woman, clad in a white wedding gown, as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.  
  
"I've been ready." she replied, laying her head against his shoulder.  
  
The two rode off, and the people in the palace watched them go into the sunset.  
  
"Oooh, that was so sweet!" Kotori said dreamily, hands on cheeks. "Arashi looked so pretty in her wedding gown."  
  
Yuzuriha nodded. "I can't wait til I become a bride." She gave a not-so-subtle glance toward the man at her side, who faintly blushed and looked away.  
  
Hinoto looked at her fairy sisters. //Aren't we forgetting something?//  
  
"Oh, yeah." Kotori and Yuzuriha said in unison, and raised their wands. Words appeared in midair.  
  
  
  
They went off into the sunset, to live happily ever after.  
  
The End.  
  
  
~  
  
Okay, that was incredibly sappy. Even for a hopeless romantic like me. ^^;;;;  
Yes, I know some of the things in there didn't happen in the actual story or movie. I'm taking a few liberties. As always, suggestions, comments and critism welcome!  
Thank you all for the kind comments you've given the story so far. You're too nice. ^___^  
Merry Christmas, or, if you don't celebrate that, Happy Holidays! 


End file.
